Adam Maher joins Zenit St Petersburg: Gennaro Gattuso 'forced' to move for PSV midfielder due to Liverpool interest
Gennaro Gatuso made signing Adam Maher an immediate priority after the Zenit manager caught wind of Liverpool's interest in the forward.
News broke on Thursday that PSV Eindhoven had agreed a fee with Zenit that would see the 21-year-old complete a transfer to the Russian Premier League when the transfer window reopens in June. Both PSG and Liverpool were also linked – though Brendan Rodgers has since said that the Reds were never in the hunt – but the news that Zenit had completed the deal certainly came out of the blue.
Speaking for the first time since completing the deal, which is thought to be in the region of $17m, Gattuso revealed his intentions behind the deal.
"I was forced to handle [the situation] as a manager because, otherwise, he was going to Liverpool, that's why I had to sign him and we've done it within one day,” Gattuso told the club’s television channel ZTV.
News broke on Thursday that PSV Eindhoven had agreed a fee with Zenit that would see the 21-year-old complete a transfer to the Russian Premier League when the transfer window reopens in June. Both PSG and Liverpool were also linked – though Brendan Rodgers has since said that the Reds were never in the hunt – but the news that Zenit had completed the deal certainly came out of the blue.
Speaking for the first time since completing the deal, which is thought to be in the region of $17m, Gattuso revealed his intentions behind the deal.
"I was forced to handle [the situation] as a manager because, otherwise, he was going to Liverpool, that's why I had to sign him and we've done it within one day,” Gattuso told the club’s television channel ZTV.
"I want to do this [make signings] early but it's not always possible," he added. "When there's a chance, to you have handle that and manage it directly and that was the case."
The club are expected to follow up interest in Schalke defender Kyriakos Papadopolous and Nice Striker Neal Maupay with official bids for the pair, with the French youth international expected to decide on his future by the end of next week.
The club are expected to follow up interest in Schalke defender Kyriakos Papadopolous and Nice Striker Neal Maupay with official bids for the pair, with the French youth international expected to decide on his future by the end of next week.
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